The menswear playbook
How to venture into menswear
It’s hard not to fall in love with menswear. In the past ten years, the category became more innovative, faster growing, and more attention-grabbing that any other. The keywords are sophistication of both consumers and brands; luxury leisurewear; reinvention of workwear in the form of comfortable uniforms; achieving an elevated look while remaining casual; a race to define the “post-streetwear” aesthetic; golf daddy meets tech daddy aesthetic; and innovation in materials.
The revenue in the global men’s apparel market in 2023 was $555.3 bn, with projected annual growth rate of 2.94% between now and 2027. The top market is the US, with the revenue of $111bn in 2023, per Statista. Much of the revenue growth comes from casualwear: knitwear, elevated sneakers, trousers, and outerwear.
To capture the menswear growth opportunity, brands are developing their menswear strategies. A strong menswear strategy starts from the overall brand vision (e.g. for ESPRIT, this vision is about how what one wears opens a world of possibilities for having fun) and the core brand territory (e.g. fashion + fun). In addition to the brand vision, apply your brand positioning to menswear (e.g. quiet luxury, or aspiration at a great value, or extraordinary quality, or accessibility).
Next step is to define the wear scenarios. Wear scenarios operationalize your menswear vision. They are the specific looks that you want your brand to be known for, and the specific aesthetic pillars that you want to own. Some examples of wear scenarios are below.
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